Disney the green standard

Leah Zanolla | Posted: Jul 12, 2007 | Updated: Oct 19, 2014 - 9:25:27 AM

TC Palm - In Florida, The Walt Disney Co. has taken the lead in greening its hotels. Two of the first four hotels to receive state certification in March 2004 were Disney resorts in Orlando.
Nearly a quarter of all Green Lodging-certified Florida hotels are Disney-owned.

Disney expects to certify all 18 of its Florida hotels by Earth Day 2008.

Like most of Disney's hotels, the Vero Beach resort has low-flow fixtures and energy-efficient appliances, so it already meets the program's technical requirements. It also provides guests with recycling containers in each room and automatically shuts off air conditioning units with sensors that detect when the room is unoccupied.

"The biggest piece we're missing is really making sure that cast members understand what we're doing in case guests ask," said Denise Leeming, who oversees labor and scheduling at the resort. "We need to train our cast members, making sure they can have that conversation. If we can't share the program with our guests, then we've missed half the opportunity."